1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a viewfinder and an image pickup apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image pickup apparatuses used for business purposes in broadcast stations or the like include a camera body for shooting objects to generate video signals and a viewfinder attached to the camera body to display images based on the video signals.
When this type of image pickup apparatus is used, a user carries the camera body on the shoulder and looks through the viewfinder during shooting.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-147232 discloses an example of a viewfinder used in such an image pickup apparatus. The viewfinder includes a display unit and an eyepiece unit. The display unit has a display panel and displays an image on the display panel. The eyepiece unit is detachably attached to the display unit and magnifies the image displayed on the display panel.
In this viewfinder, the display panel is rotatable, and the eyepiece unit is also rotatable together with the display panel while the eyepiece unit is attached to the display unit. Therefore, shooting can be carried out even when the camera body is removed from the shoulder and tilted upward or downward.
The eyepiece unit of the viewfinder can be removed from the display unit depending on the shooting conditions, so that the user can perform shooting while directly viewing the image displayed on the display panel.